I think it still feels slightly unreal. I’ve known Katie
since diapers, back when we were stupid and naïve and played with cardboard and almost annoyed each other
to death every time we got together to play. Fortunately for us, we grew out of
those tendencies once we hit the teen years, and we’ve been best friends for
quite some time now.
Katie’s also worked at camp with me for the past four years
– ever since I’ve been there, she’s been there too. She left this morning to go
home, headed halfway across the world for a five week internship in just a few short days. Last night, the
entire camp staff had the wonderful opportunity to sit around a bonfire and
tell everyone what they appreciated most about her. We all came up with
different words that best described her, and then expanded on why we chose
those words.
Faithful. Spirited. Questions. Quiet force to be reckoned
with. Uplifting. Delightful.
For this sure to be awkward blog post (Katie’s uncomfortable
with so much attention focused on her), I decided to elaborate on the three
words that I chose. Because at the very least, someone as beautiful and courageous as Katie
deserves to have a blog post written about her.
Servant- Katie lives her life in a constant state of
servitude to others. She has this constant posture of stooping below people to lift them up, not to gain anything for herself, but because the love
of Christ pours out so abundantly from her heart, she can’t help but put others
first. It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable, inconvenient or challenging it is for
herself, she presses on anyway because she sees people for who they really are:
beautiful image bearers of Christ. Because of this truth, she can’t help but
serve them whenever possible.
Comfortable- Katie’s one of the most comfortable people to
be around. It’s like she wears this big welcome mat around her heart, standing
with open arms where anyone can come in for a hug, some laughter and a cup of
coffee whenever they need it. My first year on camp staff, I felt pretty
uncomfortable in such a new environment, surrounded by new people. It was
mainly because of Katie that I came into my own skin and felt comfortable
coming out of my shell. She just has this incredibly simple way of making you
feel like you’re sitting at home with close family and friends and are able to relax
no matter what stress the day held earlier.
Passionate- I will never forget the night that Katie left me
an at least five minute long message, ranting and yelling about one of her
friends that was convinced women couldn’t be pastors. While I could really only
make out about half of it, I’m still always a bit taken aback by Katie’s
passion. She stands firm in what she believes in, planted on Christ The Solid
Rock, and it’s so encouraging to see her so unwavering in her faith. She is
stable. She is steady. She truly is a quiet force to be reckoned with. I have
seen the same passion come out in the way she talks about China. It’s been a
desire pressing on her heart for many years now, and her commitment to
spreading the Gospel there, no matter how dangerous or challenging it is for
herself, has never faded. My cousin has guts.
Another purpose for this blog post is to serve as a reminder, a reminder to lift Katie up in your prayers, to call out to the Lord
for her safety, but also for her mission, that the light of Christ would burst
out so powerfully from her heart, it reaches people and pierces past their
walls, sinking deep down into their souls.
I love you, Katie.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
--Joshua 1:9
No comments:
Post a Comment